Philip blet



(No Model.)

P. ELEY. MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE HANDLES. No. 356.195.

Patented Jan. 18, 1887.

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Mrs STATES PATnNr PHILIP ELEY, or BAYONNE, nnwinnsnr.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,195, dated January 18, 1887.

Application filed-October 18, 1886. Serial No. 216,494. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP ELEY, of Bayonne, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Making \lire Handles or Folding Loops, such as are used on five-gallon oil-cans and analogous loops, rings, or links; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exactdescription thereof.

My machine straightens the wire, cuts off successively the proper lengths, and bends each into the required form. The elasticity of the metal always requires that the wire shall be bent temporarily farther than it is to remain. under conditions which allow the adjustment tobe changed while the machine is running. The machine may use successive lots of wire having different degrees of elasticity without a moment of delay for adjustment. The working parts lie horizontally. I effect the bending around a former, which extends downward with a clear space below it. On the retreat of the exterior forming parts the slight expansion of theliandle, due to its elasticity, relaxes its hold on the inclosed former and it falls by gravity. This insures that it is discharged from the machine with certainty without requiring any special devices for the purposeJ I carry one of the cutters which severs the wire on the carriage which effects the first bending of the wire. It is common in all machinery of this kind to effect the bending at three operations-first, forming it into a U; second, bending the ends of the U together, and, third, bending the said ends inward to an extent sufficient to compensate for the elasticity. The bending must be such that when the handle is released and the ends spring into the position which they are to retain the v Mounting the cutting-knife on the carriage which effects the first bending avoids the complications of the machine, which would be necessary to give a separate motion. I employ a single spring mounted on a carriage which effects the first bending and acting againstthe part which effects the last bending. This single spring performs the functions of returning both benders to their places after they have been effective.

the bending is commenced. I provide for doing this adjustably.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification, and represent what I consider the best means of carrying out the in-' vention. e

Figure 1 is a plan view, and Fig-.2 is afront View, showing the prihcipalparts of the entire machine. The remaining figures show certain parts on a larger scale. Fig. 3 isa plan view. Fig: 4 is a vertical section. Fig. 5 represents an adjustable portion detached. Figs. 6 to 10, inclusive, are horizontal sections through the parts which act directly in bending the wire. Fig. 6 indicates the condition before bending. Fig. 7 shows the same after Fig. 8 shows the same after the bending has further advanced. Fig. 9 shows the condition when the bending has been completed, the parts being adjusted to force them farther than they are expected to remain, so as to allow for the elasticity. Fig. 10 shows the handle after it has been re leased and is in the act of dropping out of the machine in its fully perfected form.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they A is a fiXOtlflZllllB-WOI'R of cast-iron or other suitable material, certain portions being designated, when necessary, by additional marks, as A A 850.

B is the main shaft supported in bearings on the fixed framing. It is driven by a belt running on a broad pulley, B. A cam, 13, gives reciprocating motion to a carriage, (l, which-is forked, as indicated by G, the fork having a width corresponding to the length of the handle. Grooved rollers O are mounted in the parts 0, and form rolling bearing-surfaces to act on the wire to effect the bending without friction.

The wire in, after being unwound from a reel and led through a series of rollers (not. represented) to reduce it to a proper straight condition, is fed through a steel die, W, carried in a fixed portion, A, of the frame-work. The delivering end of this die is accurately finished to serve as a fixed cutter in severing the wire. a

F is another cutter, which, at the proper time, moves across incontact with the end of the die W. This cutter is carried in the carriage O.

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D" are smooth-faced or cylindrical rollers mounted on vertical studs D, set in a stout support, D, mounted adjustably on the framing A, and held by nuts 01. These studs are set in slots, which allow the piece D to be changed in position as required. The rollers D constitute a smooth vertical former. The handle is produced by bending a properlength of wire around this former.

D is a guard or apron secured adjustably on the piece 1).

The bending of the wire into the U shape tends by obvious laws to deflect outward the stretch of the wire between its bearings on the rollers D". The apron interposes an effective stop to prevent this bend from becoming too great. The curvature of this portion of the handle may be lessened by shifting this apron inward toward the rollers D to restrain the bending, or increased by shifting the apron outward to allow the bending to become more pronounced.

B B are face-cams, each the converse of the other, keyed or otherwise firmly fixed on the shaft B. Each acts on a roller, E", carried on a pin, E, set in the end of a horizontal lever, E, which turns on a fixed center, 0. At the opposite end of E is a pin, E", carrying a roller, E", which latter is received in a deep cross-recess in a transverse slide, G, which is capable of moving in a well'lubricated groove in the frame-work A. The two cams B move these two slides G G strongly and rapidly together. The adjacent ends carry grooved rollers G, mounted on studs 9.

The slides G with their rollers G approach each other immediately after the action of the carriage O with its rollers O has bent the length of wire partially around the formingrollers D", and has thus brought the material to a form approximating that of the letter U. The rollers G act on the ends of the wire and bend them inward toward each other. This reduces the wire temporarily to an approximation to the form desired; but in order to make it retain that form a further bending inward of the ends is necessary, in order to allow for the partial straightening which occurs so soon as the pressure of the several rollers acting on the outside of the handle is relaxed.

So soon as the cams 13 have induced the proper movement of the slides G with their rollers G toward each other, another pair of cams, 13*, act in the opposite direction on the rollers E and induce the retreat of these parts. So soon as these parts are removed, a third bending action is effected bymeans of a slide, J.

A cam, B, carried on the shaft B, acts on a slide, H. A rectangular notch in this slide receives one end of a horizontal lever, I, turning 011 a fixed center, The other end of I is received in a rectangular notch in the slide J, which latter extends part way into a long recess formed in the carriage G. A pushingspring, L, carried in this recess, acts against the slide J, exerting a force to urge the latter outward or backward. The same force also obviously urges in the opposite direction the carriage C.

The cam 13 is properly placed to induce a movement of the slide J toward and partially into 0 immediately after the ends of the handle have been bent together. In this movement a shoulder, J, acts on the ends of the handle and deflects them inward.

The slide H may be adjusted in length by turning the screw K, which is controlled by a hand-wheel, K. The slide H is composed of two parts capable of sliding one upon the other, and when the screw K is turned in one direction it shortens the slide. When it is turned in the other direction it lengthens it. The hand-wheel K may be turned to any large or small extent required, either by the direct ap plication of the hand or by inserting any suitable implement in the holes in its periphery. The latter method is preferable for turning to very small extents in the final adjustment. This adjusting device allows the point to which the shoulder J is moved at each reciprocation to be adjusted within the wide limits required to compensate for differences in elasticity of different qualities of wire, m. Some coils of wire are harder and more elastic than others. Such will require the shoulder J to bend the ends of the wire further than other samples. It is important to bend those ends so far and only so far as to compensate for the elasticity. The perfect adjustment is attained when, after the liberation of the material, the handle springs open until the wire finds its natural position and the parts of the wire near the two ends are exactly in line with each other.

Carrying the cutting-knife F on the carriage 0 allows the movement of the carriage to both out off and give the first bend to the length of the wire.

The arrangement of the screw K and of the hand-wheel K allows the parts to be adjusted while the machine is running. The shaping of the handle around an internal former allows the elastic expansion to be availed of in liberating it from the machine and making it easy to deliver. The horizontal position of the working parts and the vertical position of the rollers D" allows the discharge of the completed handles by gravity. The adjustable apron D allows the curvature of the handle to be varied at will. The arrangement of the parts 0 and J and their operating means allows the single spring L to perform the func tions of returning both Cand J to their places.

I use the term wire handles throughout this paper to designate the properly-bent oblong or D-shaped rings of wire of any size, whether intended for handles for oil-cans or for other purposes. They mayserve as chainlinks, or for various other uses.

It is not a serious fault if the ends do not abut against each other. They may be separated by a little space. Iprovideior varying at will the action of the rolls M in feeding the wire into the machine. It is desirable usually to feed in just enough to thrust the wire -of each revolution.

against the fixed stop A without allowing the feeding-rolls to continue to hold and thrust the wire forward, or to endeavor to do so after that stop is struck. I I attain this by shifting the feeding-wheels M M on their aXles. They are dressed on their surfaces, so as to allow them to grip the wire during only a part The bearing portion of one is set a little behind that of the other, and by slacking the pinching-screws M and shifting one or both wheels forward or back any desired change may be made in the period of feed, and also in the time of commencing and of ending the feed at each operation.

I claim as my invention- 1. I11 a machine for making Wire handles, the upright rollers D and horizontal levers E E I, and horizontal slides G G J, carrying bending devices, combined and arranged to serve as herein specified.

2. In a machine for making wire handles, the adjustable guard D, in combination with the rollers D first bending rollers, O 0 and second bendingrollers, G G, and'their several operating means, arranged for joint operation relatively to each other, as herein specified.

3. In a machine for making wire handles, the rollers D cutting means F W, first bending means,-O 0 second bending means, G G, and third bending means, J, and their several operating-connections, in combination with each other and with the hand-screw K, arranged as shown, so as to allow of adjusting the third bending movement while running, as herein specified.

4:. In a machine for making wire handles, the spring L, carriage G G C and slide J J, and their operating means,combined and arranged to serve in returning both parts 0 and J to their inactive positions, as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at New York city, New York, this 18th day of September, 1886, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PHILIP ELEY. 

